Automatic brake-setting mechanism.



PATBNTED FEB. 11, 1908.

W. P. BYRD. AUTOMATIC BRAKE SETTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1. 1907.

2 SHBET8-SHEET 1.

[NVENTO/e WITNESSES PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908. W. P, BYRD. AUTOMATIC BRAKE SETTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1. 1907.

2 SHEETSSHBBT 2 LJLJL WITNESSES; INVENTOR M/ /RWO BY mg AI/omcys WILLIAM P. BYRD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

' I AUTOMATIC BRAKE-SETTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application filed August 1' 1907. Serial No. 386.563.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. BYRD, a citizen of the United States, residing atB altimore,

in the county of Baltimore City and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Brake- S'etting Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in automatic brake-setting mechanism, to be used more particularly for rail- 3 way trains and my object is to provide means heat the same with the plunger.

, A further object is to provide a cock in said extension and automatic means for opening the same, and a still further object is to provide means for delivering a blow tothe lever :33 operating said cock, whereby the cock will be loosened and allowed to freely rotate.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims. In the accompanying drawin s which are I made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive and track-way therefor, showing my improved device in 00- operative relation therewith. Fig. 2 is a detail, sectional view of the valve-operating mechanism and parts cooperating therewith. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of an air valve showing the operating plunger in position thereon. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a striking arm and latch employed in con- .nection with the electrodes and lever cooperating therewith. Fi 5 is a plan view of a section of railway tracr and tower, showing the manner of setting contact plates to engage the fingers depending from the engine,

and, Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the trackway and portions of the trucks of the engine, showing the contact points in position to engage' the fingers on the engine.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates a locomotive, which may be of the usual or any preferred form, which is provided with the usual form of air valve 2, said valve having an operating lever 3.

The main object of my invention is to prevent the train from running past the tower or danger signal, and tothis end, I provide means for automatically 0 crating the air valve 2 and, thereby, set t e brakes on the train, and, to accomplish this result, a plunger 4 is attached to the air valve and in the path of the lever 3, the plunger and cylinder 5 therefor, being preferably curved, as best shown in Fig. 3, so that the plunger, when moved outwardly, will follow the path of the lever. I

That end of the plunger within the cylinder 5 is provided with a (piston head 6, against which air is directed an by which means the plunger is moved longitudinally in the cylinder, while the outer end of the plunger is provided with a disk, or 'the like, 7, w hich engages the lever- 3; and moves the sametoo'pcrate the air valve; 1

The plunger 4 is operatedby means of compressed air and, to this end, a section of pipe 8 is extendedfrorn'the main air pipe 9 to one end of the cylinder 5, so that the air may be directed from the air pipe into engagement with the piston head 6 and move the plunger longitudinally and in order to exclude the air from the cylinder until such time as it is desired to operate the plunger, a cook 10 is placed in the section 8 between the air pipe 9 and cylinder 5, said cock being provided with an operating lever 11, so that said cock may be opened or closed, as desired.

In order to introduce the air into the cylinder 5 and cause the plunger to operate the air valve, contact plates 12 are secured to the ties 13 of the road bed, said contact plates having elongated slots 14 in their ends, through whichextend bolts 15, the lower ends of said bolts entering the ties 13 and holding the contact plates in position on the ties.

The contact plates 12 are preferably con structed of spring metal, so that they can be raised at their central portion, thereby disposing the contact plates inreach of depend:

b, carried by of the locomotive, that portion of the spring fingers adjacent the frame 17 of the trucks being provided with a coiled section 18, so that the fingers will readily yield when-engaged by the contact plates.

The contact plates are adapted to be elevated by the operator in the signal tower 19 and, to accomplish this resultwithout' the operator leaving the tower, a shaft 20 is retatably mounted on one of the ties, immediately below the longitudinal center of the contact plates 12, said shaft having cranked portions 21 which are adapted to engage and elevate the plates '12 when the shaft 20 is rotated.

That end of the shaft 20, adjacent the tower 1.9, is provided with a depending arm 22, to which is pivotally secured one end of a rod 23, the opposite end of the rod 23 being secured to a similar arm 24, carried by a controlling lever 25, one end of said lever extending into the tower 19 and in position to be engaged by the operator, so that by swinging said lever in one direction, the shaft 20 will be rotated sulliciently to elevate the cen tral portions of the contact plates 12 and, thereby, dispose the same in the path of the depending fingers 16.

The contact plates 12 are energized by attaching wires 26 to the contact plates and connecting the same to suitable batteries 27 in the tower, the circuit through said wires and batteries being controlled by means of a switch 28.

Attached in the usual or any preferred manner to the upper ends of the depending fingers 16 are circuit wires 29, which extend from said fingers to suitable magnets 30 carried in the cab of the engine, said magnets being in juxtaposition to the operating lever 11 of the cock 10 and said magnets and parts of the pipe section 8 carrying the cock 10, are

surrounded by a housing 31, so that casual access to the cook 10 cannot be readily had.

Cooperating with the magnets 30 is an armature, which is pivotally. mounted in the housing 31 and has one of its ends extended over the poles of the magnets 30, while the opposite end thereof is provided with a depending extension 33, which is adapted to engage a latch 34 at one end of a striking arm 35, said arm being extended through a socket 36 adjacent the upper end of the operating lever 11, the object of said striking arm being to normally hold the cock in its closed position, which is accomplished by engaging the depending extension 33 with the latch 34 and it will be readily seen that as long as the extension is in engagement with the latch, the operating lever 11 will be held in a vertical position.

The extension 33 is normally held in engagement with the latch 34 by means of a spring 32, which is secured, respectively, to

the torward the housing 31' and free end of the armature 32, which'will result in holding the armature elevated until such time as the magnets are energized.

By this construction it will be seen that when the depending fingers 16 engage the contact Cplates 12, the magnets 30 will be energize from the batteries 27 which will result in attractin the armature 32 and releasing the extenslon 33 from the latch 34, and thus permitting the operating lever 11 to be moved in position to 0 en the cock 10 and to accomplish this resu t, a controlling spring 37 is secured at one end to the free end of the striking arm 35, while the opposite end thereof is secured to the bottom of the housing 34, so that as soon as the latch 34 is released from the armature, the spring 37 will immediately swing the operating lever l 1 in position to open the cock 10 and permit the passage of air through the section 8 and into the cylinder 5.

It has been found that when a cock is not constantly used, the same will become set in its position and to loosen the cock necessitates striking the lever 11 a slight blow and in View of such, the striking arm 35 is so 'arran ed that when the armature 32 is release from the latch, the sprin 37 will quickly move the striking arm endwise and direct; the latch 34 into enga ement with the upperend of the operating ever with con- -s1der'able,force, the jar co-incident thereto, --loosening the cock so that the tension of the spring may readily rotate the cook.

The latch end of the striking arm 35 is pro vided with a handle 38, so that after the arts of the device have been released and ave performed their function, the handle may be readily grasped and the latch returned to engagement with the extension 33 After the plunger 4 has been operated, or .moved outwardly by directing compressed air into engagement with the piston head 6, the plunger is returned to its initial position by means of a spring 39, which is introduced into the cylinder 5 between one end thereof and the piston head 6, the operation of the piston head depressing the spring when the compressed air is introduced into the cylinder, while the tension of the spring will return the piston head to its initial position when the compressed air is cut otl from the cylinder.

The contact plates 12 are located at a considerable distance from the tower 19, so that should the trainmen fail to note a signal to stop the train and pass by the tower, the operator in the tower immediately sets the contact plates in position to engage the depending fingers on the engine and, at the same time, closes the circuit in the wires 26 and connects the contact plates with the batteries 27, which will result in energizing on the armature, thus, again closing the cock.-

the ma nets 30 as soon as the depending fingers lave engaged the contact points, thereby releasing the operating lever 11 and introducing the air into the cyhnder 5, which will result in moving the plunger outwardly and operating the air valve 2 to set the brake.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a very cheap, economical and, at the same time, positive means for setting the brakes of a train and causing the same to stop and it will further be seen that I have provided means for loosening the cock cooperating with the pipe section, whereby the cock may be readily rotated.

What I claim is:

1. The herein described automatic brakesetting mechanism, comprising the combination with an air valve, having a lever there,- for; of a curved plunger adapted to engage and follow in the path of said lever, and means to introduce air into engagement with said plunger, whereby the same will be moved longitudinally and the valve lever operated.

2. In an automatic brake-setting mechanism, the combination with an air valve having a lever to operate the same; of a curved lunger adapted to move in the path of said ever, a curved cylinder for said plunger, means to convey compressed air into the cylinder, whereby the piston will be moved longitudinally and the air valve operated and means to control the. admission of air into said cylinder.

3. In a brake-setting mechanism of the class described, the combination with an air valve, an operating lever therefor and an air pipe, connected to said valve; of a curved plunger adapted to extend into and follow the path of the lever, a curved cylinder for said plunger, a piston head at one end of said plunger, a pipe section extending from the end of said cylinder to the air )ipe, a cock in said section, means to' normally hold said cock in its closed position and additional means to release said cock, whereby the same may be rotated.

4. In a brake-setting mechanism, the com bination with an air valve, a lever for said valve and an air pipe connected to said valve; of a lunger adapted to engage and operate said ever, a cylinder for said plunger, a pipe section extending from said cylinder to the air pipe, a cock inter-secting said section, an operating lever for said cock, a striking arm carried by the upper end, of said lever, an armature adapted to engage said striking arm and normally hold the cock in its closed position, a spring secured to said striking arm and means to release said armature from the striking arm, whereby the operating lever will be rotated and a blow delivered thereto.

5. In a brake-settin mechanism, the combination with an air va ve, having an air pipe, a plunger to operate said valve, a pipe section adapted to convey air from the air pipe to said plunger and a controlling cock for said section; of means to operate said controlling cock, comprising an'operating lever having a socket in one end thereof, a striking arm extending loosely through said socket, a latch at one end of said arm, a spring secured to the opposite end of said arm, an armature adapted to engage said latch and hold the cock against operation, magnets adapted to attract said armature and release the latch, whereby a blow will be delivered to the 0 erating lever and the cock rotated, depen ing fingers operatively connected to sa1d magnets, magnetized contact plates in the path of said fingers, and means to raise said contact plates into engagement with said fingers, whereby said magnets will be energized and the brake-setting mechanism operated.

6. In a brake-setting mechanism, the combination with an air valve, a plunger adapted to operate said air valve and means to convey air to said plunger; of a cock to control the assage of air to the plunger, an operating ever for said cock having a socket, a striking arm extending through said socket, means to enga e said striking arm and normally hold said ever in a fixed position and additional means to move said striking arm longitudinally through said socket and deliver a blow to said operating lever and swing the same laterally, whereby the cock will be operated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

, I WILLIAM P. BYRD.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. RAINER, JAMES L. EDENFIELD. 

